''Acronicta modica'', the hesitant dagger, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. It is found in eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Oklahoma and Texas. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is around 35 mm. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e feed on

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

species. The type specimen of ''Acronicta modica'' was recently determined to be ''Acronicta haesitata''. Because of priorities of the species descriptions, this resulted in ''Acronicta modica'', the medium dagger moth, being renamed ''

Acronicta immodica ''Acronicta immodica'', the medium dagger, is a species of owlet moth in the family Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the ...

'', and ''Acronicta haesitata'', the hesitant dagger moth, becoming ''Acronicta modica''. ''Acronicta haesitata'' is now a taxonomic synonym of ''Acronicta modica''.

References

External links

Species info
Acronicta Moths of North America Moths described in 1856 {{Acronictinae-stub